Stockholm 3 - Under the Bridges and Saying Hello and Goodbye to a Queen

Again we were up bright and early, had breakfast and out into a overcast Stockholm, mind you, even in that weather it looked beautiful. We were heading to nearby Stromkajen where we were joining the Under the Bridges of Stockholm boat tour. This tour passes under fifteen of the bridges that link some of the islands that make up Stockholm.

Gamla Stan from the Water

The boat was barge-like and chugged along at a leisurely pace. We passed by the gorgeous Grand Hotel . and then Djurgarden and had a good view of the Vasa Museum and the Grona Lund amusement park.  We passed Gamla Stan and then passed through a lock that separates Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea. We then skirted the north shore of the island of Södermalm. There were some gorgeous turreted buildings built up on a hill facing Gamla Stan, they were very Germanic in style which is something I noticed with many of Stockholm's old buildings. We passed many residential areas, the apartments all had large balconies brimming with colourful flowers and there was lots of greenery. There were also many houseboats lining the shore.

We passed the island of Langholmen and then looped around Lilla Essingen and south of the small island of Reimersholme. There we passed a huge wooden barrel on the shore, this marks the site of the original Absolut vodka factory founded by Lars Olsson Smith. We continued on and followed Sodermalm's southern shore. We passed a huge hospital that had dozens of allotments on the slope below it all with brightly coloured sheds.

The Grand Hotel

On our way back to the berth we passed the spot where the Vasa sank all those years ago, it was very close to the museum where it resides now. And that was it, I really enjoyed the boat tour and we saw more of the city than we would have any other way. Being built on many islands you often get the best views from the water.

Before I go on with the next part of my trip as promised I'll let you know what drew me to Stockholm in the first place. When I was around fifteen I read a book called Desiree by Annemarie Selinko. It was a novel based on fact about a silk merchant's daughter called Desiree Clary from Marseilles in France. She was engaged to Napoleon at one time and married a French general called Jean Baptisite Bernadotte. In 1810 Jean-Baptiste was asked by the elderly, childless Charles XIII of Sweden to be his heir. Eventually in 1818

he was crowned King Charles XIV John  of Sweden and Desiree became Queen Desideria and to this day the Bernadotte dynasty is still Sweden's royal family. Since I read the book I have been fascinated by Napoleonic times in France and how a silk merchant's daughter from Marseilles ended up as Queen of Sweden and I wanted to see Stockholm for myself one day. I waited a very long time but now I was there.

We then went to The Royal Palace (and saw another changing of the guard up close) which is the royal family's official residence and place of work. It also houses royal departments and state apartments where visiting world dignitaries stay. We went in and climbed marble steps with diagonal lines across them into the palace proper. We wandered through the rooms that ranged from very opulent to oppressive, beautiful and homely. It varied a lot, there was even one very modern room which was the present king's homage to Swedish design (no it wasn't furnished by IKEA!) Apparently there are over 600

Me Outside the Royal Palace

rooms in this humongous place!

There were a few portraits of Desiree and her family, mostly from before she actually lived in Sweden - she moved there permanently in 1823. She had been very unhappy in Sweden, she hated the cold, never learnt the language and always longed for France and she became increasingly eccentric as she grew older. Unfortunately no photos were allowed in the palace which was a shame, but I suppose flash can damage old paintings and tapestries.

There were several museum's within the palace but we didn't have time to see them all so we decided go to The Royal Armoury. It is the oldest museum in Stockholm and was founded by King Gustav II Adolph in 1628 and is now situated in the vaulted cellars of the palace. Upstairs was an exhibition called Power Games which housed costumes from TV and film such as Elizabeth the First and Game of Thrones. To be honest I wasn't at all interested in that so I went further down to another lower floor to see the real historical things.

It housed royal belongings going back to the 1500's, there was a beautiful blue velvet cape with golden crowns on it from very early times. Gustav II Adolph's horse, Streiff, which he rode at the battle of Lutzen in 1632 was stuffed and put on display here. Clothing of various kings and queens, swords, crowns, even

Riddarholm Church

ornate carriages and amazing sleighs. The latter reminding me that  this is a Nordic country with lots of snow and the waters around Stockholm's islands are frozen in winter. It was very interesting and I enjoyed looking

round the museum.

We had a snack of cakes and coffee and then again went our separate ways. Yvonne wanted to go to the Photographic Museum and I wanted to go to Riddarholm Church. which was only a short walk from the cafe. It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm with parts of it dating back to the thirteenth century. It has not been a functioning church since 1807 but was reserved as the burial place for Sweden's monarchs until 1950. It's distinctive cast iron spire replaced the original spire that was destroyed by lightening in 1835.
Nowadays the church is primarily the resting place of royalty and also a museum and in summer it is the venue for classical music concerts.

The church is a typical Protestant type with little ornamentation. It has various chapels along each side where the various royal families tombs lay. The floor is stone with some ancient patterned slabs. I was especially

Tombs of Karl XIV Johan and Desideria

interested in the Bernadotte chapel which was dominated by the huge marble tomb of Karl XIV Johan. In front of it was Desiree's tomb, with her royal name, Desideria, along the front. I was surprised that I found it quite moving to view her tomb. This was the last resting place of a

woman from history who had an amazing journey from a French silk merchant's daughter to a reluctant Queen of Sweden and who had captured the imagination of a schoolgirl in the north of England many, many years before. It felt like the end of a journey for me and I said hello and then goodbye to her, it felt like it was something I had to do.

I went back over the bridge to Gamla Stan and looked round some shops and ended up in the beautiful square of Stortorget.  The Nobel Museum was bustling and my Stockholm Card gave me free entry so I went in. It was busy but also fascinating, it was a very interactive museum. By now though I was getting tired and though I would have liked to have spent longer there I didn't stay that long.

Nobel Museum

I went back to the hotel and freshened up and by time I was ready Yvonne was back from the Photographic Museum which she has enjoyed very much. Before going out to eat we went to the library in the hotel and finished our bottle of wine watching the action on Västerlånggatan

When we left the hotel we soon noticed a restaurant called Gasgrand 4 (Goose Alley) in an alley of the same name close by. It looked nice so we went in, we had the choice of a table upstairs or one downstairs in the cellar, we went for the latter. It was small and very atmospheric, reached by curving stone steps, it was quite dark and had stone walls, I liked it.

Gasgrand

My Elk Burger

I decided to go Swedish and had the elk burger which was lovely, surprisingly more like beef than venison. It came with saute potatoes, pickled cucumber (which they seem to love here), lingonberry jam and salad.
And seeing it was our last night and we had money left, we splashed out and had a bottle of wine and a delicious dessert too. We took our time and had a lovely, relaxing last evening meal in Stockholm.

I felt sad that it was our last night, I loved Stockholm and there was so much to see and not enough time.

Stockholm 2 - Island Hopping and a Doomed Warship

We were up early and went down for breakfast. It was lovely, a good choice of typical Continental breakfast fayre along with more Swedish things like herrings in a creamy sauce, caviar, crispbread and pickled cucumber. They even had a choice of 3 minute and 6 minute boiled eggs wrapped in linen cloth to keep them warm. A member of staff was constantly checking and keeping everything topped up.

After breakfast we walked through the

arches of the government buildings and over the bridge. It was a beautiful morning and old Stockholm looked so lovely with its spires and gorgeous historical buildings. We walked on into the modern city centre.

We saw a lovely chocolate shop on Drottningsgatan (Queen Street) and just had to go in. We saw an interesting shop full of chocolate and other delights so we just had to go in! There were some chocolate things

called skumtopp which made us smile, they are marshmallow covered in chocolate and much more delicious than they sound. They also sold Swedish crispbread which was circular with a hole in the middle and dozens hung on a pole above the counter.

We walked on to the Tourist Information to pick up my Stockholm Card that gave discounts on trips and museums. We also booked the Under the Bridges boat tour for the next day.

Then we caught the hop on hop off bus. We had decided to do a circuit first and then get off at places we wanted to see more of. We toured the centre of the city, passed the City Hall its three golden crowns on the tower gleaming in the sunlight. 

The Opera House which was beautiful, and, like a lot of the buildings, it had a Germanic look about it. We skirted

The Royal Palace

Gamla Stan with its narrow roads it was impossible for the bus to enter properly. 

We passed the huge Royal Palace and saw the changing of the guard. We then crossed a bridge onto the green island of Djurgården   which is Stockholm's leisure place with amusements and parks and also where many of the city's museums are. 

On the second circuit we got off the bus at the Vasa Museum which houses the Vasa warship. The building itself was spectacular with the "masts" soaring out of the roof of the building. The Vasa was built in 1627 and sank on its maiden voyage 1300 metres from where it set sail. It lay on the seabed until it was recovered in 1961. It was in an extremely well preserved state and put on public display. 

We got our tickets and went in and immediately are in a huge room dominated

The prow of the Vasa

by the Vasa, it was stunning, so much bigger than I expected. There were galleries at different levels to the side of the ship so you could see all levels. To the other side were exhibits of articles found in the wreck and videos about its history. 

The ship had a huge, curving prow and highly decorated stern, the masts were massive. Looking at it I wondered how this huge ship floated at all! 

The highly decorated stern of the Vasa

We had a snack in the museum's restaurant before leaving. I had wanted to go to the Nodiska Museum close by but it was closing. I pondered on going to the Abba Museum further down the road which only opened the previous month, but decided against it as it was extremely expensive and we got no discount with our Stockholm Card. 

We caught a tram back to the centre of town and then went our separate ways as we wanted to see different things. I headed back to Gamla Stan and crossed a bridge and onto the small island of Riddarholmen. I wanted to see Riddarholm Church, now a museum and burial place of Swedish royalty until the 1950's.  Unfortunately it was closed, so I headed back to our hotel, popping into some shops along the way. There were some beautiful old buildings in Gamla Stan with ornate carvings around many of the doors. Its so good that it has been preserved for us all to enjoy. 

Before we headed out too eat that evening we had some wine (that I had brought with me knowing how expensive Sweden is for alcohol!) in the lovely little library area of the hotel. It is on the first floor and looks out over Västerlånggatan. It has a comfy leather suite and books to read, very relaxing.

We walked the short distance to Stora Nygatan to an Italian restaurant called Rodolfino's. By coincidence we had both noticed it on our way back to the hotel earlier, it was a bit away from the main tourist area and was therefore a little cheaper than some we'd seen. It was decorated in the red, white and green of the Italian flag, basic, but comfortable and friendly. More importantly, the food was delicious, we shared some wonderful garlic bread then for mains I had a ham and mushroom pizza and Yvonne had seafood pasta and we both ate the lot. 

It was after 11pm when we headed back to

the hotel. It was still light and ahead of us the tower of the cathedral, Storkyrkan, rose above the other buildings and the usually busy main streets were quiet. Already our first full day in Stockholm was over and we were both loving the city. 

Stockholm 1 - A Quirky Hotel and Heavenly Spires

I felt a thrill as the plane descended into Arlanda Airport near Stockholm, I looked down on a landscape full of forests dotted with countless lakes. I always get that feeling when I arrive at a new destination and wonder what experiences lie ahead of me, don't think I'll ever lose that thrill of travelling. And Stockholm is a place I've always wanted to visit, I'll tell you one of the reasons why later.

Before I knew it I was on the Arlanda Express train shooting through the Swedish countryside at 200 kph. It was brilliant, fast - 20 minutes and you were in the centre of the city - clean, roomy, ran every 20 minutes, WiFi. It was also expensive, but there is a bus that takes longer but is much cheaper. However two tips for the Arlanda Express - they have a two for one ticket offer in the summer and pensioners always can get half price tickets.

I stepped out of the Central Railway Station into a strangely quiet Stockholm. We later found out that it was the Midsummer national holiday over the weekend we were there, it didn't affect our trip, just meant the roads were quieter and many general shops were closed.

I decided to walk to the hotel as I knew it was not far away. I savoured my first views of the city, it was beautiful with its islands, water, bridges, historical buildings and tall church spires soaring up into the blue sky. I crossed the Vasabron and to my left saw the Royal Palace, it was huge! I was now in Gamla Stan and soon was struggling with my wheelie case on the cobbles, not a good mix! Eventually I came to Västerlånggatan, a long narrow street on the western side of the island and that used to follow the line of the old city wall. This is where our hotel, the not very Swedish sounding,  Lord

The Lord Nelson Hotel

Nelson Hotel was. It is a hotel like no other, less than six metres wide, full of naval memorabilia much relating to Nelson, the rooms are small, named after shifts and inside like ship's cabins. Its very quirky and absolutely delightful! I will do a separate full review about the hotel soon.

My friend Yvonne was already there and we met up and had a chat. Then we headed out to a nearby restaurant specialising in Swedish food that had been recommended by  the receptionist.  It was called Tradition on Österlånggatan near our hotel and it was a lovely walk through the cobbled streets and lanes of Gamla Stan. 

It was a pleasant place with modern minimal Scandinavian design and served traditional Swedish cuisine with a modern twist. It was expensive so we decided too just go for mains. I had mustard marinated beef with sauté potatoes and pickled cucumber. The meat melted in my mouth and there was lots of it so we didn't have room for another course. We had a glass of wine each, mine was £11.00!! But we both thoroughly enjoyed the meal despite the prices. 

We had a leisurely walk back in the late evening sunshine (love the northern lands long summer days), via Stortorget, the beautiful small square in the middle of Gamla Stan. I was looking forward to exploring the city more in the next couple of days. 

Restaurant Review - The Golden Fleece, Ruleholme, Cumbria

My friend and I wanted to try somewhere we had not been to for our meal out so we chose The Golden

Photo from The Golden Fleece Website

Fleece at Ruleholme near Carlisle in Cumbria.

It is a traditional country inn, with natural stone walls and wood beams. It has a nice outside area with tables and benches which would be lovely to sit at in good weather. Inside there is a bar, a small lounge where you are seated prior to your meal to peruse the menu and nibble on warm party sausages, toasted bread with a lovely pate and crisps. it was different and a nice touch.  I was pleased to see that this was a restaurant where you could get those small bottles of Prosecco, ideal if you are driving.

The eating area consisted of a few small rooms, with large tables (with old maps of Cumbria on them) and plenty of space between them ensuring lots of privacy. It felt cosy and comfortable. There was some bread and butter and a bottle of water on the table when we were seated.

I chose the Fleece burger, made from rump steak, topped with goat's cheese and red onion marmalade, onion rings, thick cut chips and garlic mayo. The meal was presented on a wooden platter. The onion rings were the biggest I've ever seen and lovely and crispy. The burger was tasty and juicy as were the chips and the portions generous..

My friend chose the gammon with pineapple, fried egg, and chunky chips. The pineapple was fresh and the slice of gammon huge and it was served on a granite slab. Like me she was very happy with her meal.

We were quite full as the portions were generous and could only manage ice cream for dessert. I had a scoop each of raspberry pavlova, chocolate and vanilla.  It came in a large cone sitting in a cone-shaped glass with a little container in which there was a small amount of sprinkles, chocolate pieces, hundreds and thousands and fizzing angel dust. The ice cream was very creamy and went down easily.

Our bill came in a little wooden chest accompanied by two decadently delicious chocolates. The service was friendly and efficient, and the food was served quickly. It cost us just over £40 for two alcoholic drinks, two mains and two desserts. Not cheap, but not over expensive either for what we had. We'll definitely be going back and if you want a pleasant atmosphere with good food try it, you won't be disappointed.

Fin Dac, Street Artist

On Facebook today I came across this mural created by the Irish artist Fin Dac in the Gibson Hotel in Dublin. It is pretty amazing, full of energy and movement and what a scale. This photo shows the artist beside the painting and shows how huge it is.

Fin was self taught and originally hails from Cork but is mainly based in London and has created works all over the world. You can view more of his art here and there is a short article about him here. It looks like a visit to the Gibson Hotel is definitely on the cards on my next Dublin visit!

Review - The Plough Inn, Wreay, Cumbria

The Plough Inn is a place I have been going to for years, it is a country pub, with a warm ambiance and excellent food. Recently I heard that the pub had been taken over by new owners and tonight my cousin Glen and I went there for a meal - this was their first night serving meals. I must admit we were both a bit worried that it would not be as good as it had been previously.

The pub itself looks exactly the same, traditional with a modern twist and a pleasant atmosphere. The menu was much more extensive, but that's not always a good thing, it's easy to over-extend in this business. The menu told us that the chef was from the Seychelles and had 22 years experience.

We shared a pate starter, the pate was homemade and lovely. For our main courses Glen chose a chicken curry and I went for the duck marinated in cinnamon, honey and lime with mash, veg and red wine and red currant gravy.  My duck was tender with little fat and the subtle flavours were delicious and were like none I'd experienced with duck before. Glen loved her curry, in fact she said it was the one of the best curries she had ever had. Neither of us had room for a dessert!

The chef, Winston, came out to speak to everyone, he was very pleasant and seemed happy that we had enjoyed his food so much. Later one of the owners, Jane, came across to speak to us. She said that the pub would serve food  Wednesday-Sunday. Monday they would be open for drinks and homemade burgers and a quiz night. Tuesdays again it would be drinks with a live music night. So it sounds like there will be a good variety of events at the pub in the future.  I thought it was really nice personal touch that the chef and owner came out to talk with the clients like that. There are also going to be special nights with a Seychelles buffet which sounds like it will be brilliant.

Judging by the fare tonight I know that we will be continuing to visit The Plough regularly and I have  no hesitation in recommending it.

Puppies, Theatre and Birthdays

Dear me I've been a bit neglectful of my blog this month, so thought I'd make another April entry so I have at least two this month!

Seamus is thriving, he's grown so much! He and Pepsi are great friend now and enjoy tiring each other out racing about the living room and play fighting. Ellie is still a bit wary and I have to watch she doesn't stand on the little fellow as she is such a klutz lol.

Seamus has attended puppy class and was very confident and at ease from the start. He is intelligent, walks well on the lead and is getting better with house-training.

I had forgotten how much work a puppy is though, they are a real commitment and you need patience and more patience. But it is all worthwhile, Seamus is a joy and I love him to bits.

Inbetween looking after my puppy I have started a new job within the firm I work for and it is ok. I now have a two week rolling rota so know exactly what I'll be working unlike the previous job. So I think it has been a good move.

I went to see Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel at The Theatre by the Lake in Keswick the other week. It's a play I've wanted to see for a long time. It is set in a kitchen of the home of five very different unmarried sisters, their disgraced priest brother recently returned from Africa and Michael the illegitimate son of Chris, one of the sisters. Michael as a man looking back to 1936 is the narrator. Not a lot happens on the surface and as they go about their repetitive lives, there is much repression and restraint. But beneath this there is passion that occasionally shows itself as it does when the women, even the self righteous matriarch Kate, movingly dance wildly to music coming from Marconi, as they called their radio. Little happens, yet, everything is changing.  It is a touching, deep play that has many themes that intertwine that I feel I would like to see it again to fully appreciate it.

My friend Debbi is 50 this year and like me last year she is having an official and a real birthday. For the official one she has said she wants to go wine tasting in France, what an excellent choice. Really looking forward to celebrating her day in that way, France, good food and wine and great company, perfect!

My New Family Member

As some of you know I lost my 12 year old dachshund Max tragically last October. Recently I felt ready to get another dachshund to keep my wire daxie Pepsi and daxie cross Ellie company. Twice I was very close to adopting a rescue dachshund, but both times, through no fault of my own, they fell through. The last time that happened was on March 16th, then on the 17th I saw dachshund puppies for sale on Facebook and soon my name was down for a gorgeous wire boy!

On March 25th my friend Justyna and I drove through to County Durham to pick up my pup, who was just then ready to go to his new home.  The trip was pleasant, across to Hexham and then onto the A68  through Northumberland and into County Durham, up and down rolling hills with some beautiful big country vistas.

The puppy was gorgeous in real life as he was in the photos and on video I'd seen, I met his lovely mum and dad as well as his human mum!  I had shortlisted three names, (all Irish as I'd bought him on St Patrick's Day), Paddy, Dillon and Seamus and when I saw him I just knew he had to be a Seamus, it was perfect for him. His full title is Seamus O'Sausage, just couldn't resist lol!

I had a first photo taken of Seamus and me before we set off home, unfortunately he is slightly blurred, when he's awake he's never still for long. Seamus was snuggled in a fleecy blanket for the journey home and slept all the way.

Once home I introduced him to Pepsi and Ellie, they were interested in him but I was careful as he was so tiny. He was lively, bright and had a hearty appetite. He also settled remarkably well, with only a little whining in the first 24 hours, pretty amazing since he'd left his siblings and the only home he'd known.

Since then he has been a joy, already in just over a week he has grown and put on weight and is very settled indeed. My other two dogs are getting to know him, though it will take a while for them to get fully used to this crazy little pup tearing around lol! He'll be going to puppy classes soon, there's no doubt he will be the smallest there - however, as with most daxies, he is big on attitude and personality! So, welcome to the family Seamus, you'll get lots of love here and I know you will bring much joy.

A Few Photos of Enchanted Iceland

My friends and I took some lovely photos during our time in Iceland so I thought I'd put a few here for you to see, hope you enjoy them! All photos (c) by Dianne and Danielle Beeaff and myself.

Out and about in Reykjavik

Hallgrimskirkja at dusk

I called Reykjavik the City of Lights, there was light everywhere, this was
Skoladustigur where we stayed

Inside Harpa

A view down a street towards Mount Esja

Tjornin

Carving on a door we passed

Bright and cheerful!

Traditional House

There were some  beautifully decorated windows in the shops, here's number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Solfar (Sun Voyager) sculpture

Out in the countryside

Gulfoss partly frozen 

The Westman Islands

Selfoss 

Wall of dappled ice at Solheimajokull - it shone like glass

Solheimajokull (glacier), the dark areas are ash from the eruption in 2010 of the
nearby Ejafjallajokull volcano

Skogafoss

Black beach at Reynisfjara near Vik  

Vik beach

Sea near Selfoss

Restaurant Review - Buddha Restaurant, Reykjavik

Address

Buddha Restaurant

Laugavegi 3
Reykjavik

Website
Buddha Restaurant

Cuisine
Asian

Ambiance/Service
Modern Asian Restaurant decorated in a Chinese/Japanese style. There was lots of space between tables and the seating was very comfortable. The atmosphere was relaxed. We looked out on Laugavegur and so could sit back and watch life pass by on this busy street. Staff gave excellent service and spoke perfect English.

Food
Buddha serves Japanese and Cantonese dishes and on this occasion we all decided to go for the Cantonese menu. We skipped starters and I chose Wok-fried  Beef in Buddha Sauce (I asked what the Buddha sauce was and was told it was a fruity sauce) I loved it. the others had Sweet and Sour Pork, Chicken Satay and Chicken with Noodle and Vegetables and not a scrap was left when we finished, so that  says it all!

Price
The Buddha Restaurant was a bit more expensive than the Italia. My Beef with Buddha Sauce was the most expensive meal at 3590 ISK (£19.30) and the Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables was the cheapest at 2490 ISK (£13.39.)  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal and not a scrap was left, so that tells how delicious it was!

My View
A smart and modern restaurant that has a relaxing atmosphere. The Chinese food we ate was delicious. The prices were reasonable for Reykjavik and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant.

Restaurant Review - Italia Restaurant, Reykjavik

Italia restaurant

Address
Laugavegi 11
Reykjavik

Website
Italia Restaurant

Cuisine
Italian

Ambiance/Service
There was a cosy, homely and rustic feel to the restaurant. Seating is in little booths which give a good level of privacy. The booth are each named after various Italian towns/cities, we were in Sorrento. There is a brick pizza oven which I could see from my seat. Service was attentive and friendly, the staff spoke excellent English and were very helpful.

Garlic Mushroom Starter

Food
We all went for garlic mushrooms to start. the portions were large, accompanied by garlic bread and were absolutely delicious.

I had ham and mushroom pizza for my main and again it was large and came fresh out of the brick oven close to our table. It was delicious, one of the best I've had. Danielle had a seafood pasta and said it was the best she'd ever had, and both Dan and Dianne loved their meals too.

My Yummy Ham and Mushroom Pizza!

We had a lovely Italian Chianti to accompany the meal. we could not manage a dessert as the        portions were so large, but I'm sure they would have been as delicious as the other courses.

Price
The Italia Restaurant is reasonably priced compared to the general expense of eating out in Reykjavik. Strangely, starters are almost the same price as mains, the garlic mushrooms cost 2200IK (£11.63) and my pizza was 2500IK (£13.44). So if you want to keep the meal cheap, it may be best to skip a starter as the main is an good price and portions are generous.

My Overall View
I have been to the Italia Restaurant twice and both times the food was very good, plus the ambiance of the place is cosy and easy going. For a restaurant on the main shopping street of Reykjavik the Italia is excellent value and I would not hesitate to recommend it if you visit that wonderful city. 

Spring Definitely Has Sprung!

What a glorious day it's been today, sunshine, blue skies, birds chattering in the trees. I love days like this when it's clear spring has arrived and we shake off winter's cloak and emerge from the enforced semi-hibernation into an awakening world.

I spent hours in the garden today, mowed the lawns, pruned back some bushes, did some weeding and clearing up autumn's leaves. My tame wood pigeon arrived, along with a girlfriend, so I put food out for them. It's amazing how a bit of good weather rejuvenates and inspires. Looking forward to lots of lovely long walks with the dogs soon and, hopefully, a good summer!

For Goodness Sake U2 Get a Grip!

I could have phrased that more strongly, but hey, there's enough swearing on the Internet. The latest information according to Billboard magazine, regarding U2's next album and tour is that they will not be happening until 2015. After all the recent publicity and strong hints of an album release this year it looks like it will not be happening. They are going to work with more producers and Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) seems a bit vague as to what is happening though in the Billboard article it says that he is "remains onboard as the project's central producer," In a recent interview with canoe.ca he says:

As for the fate of his work on the highly anticipated U2 album, Burton claims to not have a clue despite the Irish band already releasing two songs from their sessions with him, the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated Ordinary Love and the single Invisible.

"I don't really know - I just know it's not done," he said.

But is he still the producer?

"I don't know. I'm working on [Broken]Bells right now I have no idea what they are doing. I've been working on it for YEARS but I'm sure they're still working on the record."

For me that quote says a lot, sounds like the same old story, instead of just going with it U2 is being anal again and bringing in more producers and probably working the music to a safe death, It's now over five years since the last album and it's pretty poor if they can't release a new album they are happy with after all that time. 

Read the full Billboard article here. I could go on and on and on, but that would be pointless, suffice it to say that, if this is true, I will not be a happy bunny!

The Lonsdale/ABC, Goodbye and Thank You for the Music!

Recently the Lonsdale in Carlisle was demolished, the long fight to save

ABC Lonsdale, Carlisle

the art deco building having failed.  Since it's opening in 1931 it has been a cinema, theatre and bingo hall. It has many memories for Carlisle people, but for me it was the ABC and will always be linked to music, for it was there that I saw my first live rock gigs.

In the 1960's there used to be extensive tours of a few major musicians who each would play a handful of songs during the show. These tours came to out of the way places like Carlisle (we do not see the big acts even come close nowadays!) and these tours gave people a chance to see a little of the top acts of the day. The Beatles played the ABC, but I was too young to go to that particular show.  

I started going to shows at the ABC in 1967, I was only 13 and went by myself as none of my close friends loved music as I did, (even to this day my music loving friends are the ones I got to know through U2 :)) Looking back I'm amazed my mum let me go to gigs so young! My musical appetite was initially whetted by listening to the pirate radio station Radio Caroline or a very crackly Radio Luxemburg. In those days you just did not hear rock music on the mainstream radio, this only started with the advent of BBC Radio 1 in late 1967. Hard to imagine in these days of instant downloads.

One of the first shows I saw was an eclectic mix to say the least, headlining were The Walker Brothers, also on the bill were Engelbert Humperdinck, Cat Stevens (who I was a fan of) and one Jimi Hendrix. And the performance I remember most all these years later was, of course, Jimi Hendrix.  I was wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he seemed so exotic to me. Carlisle was not multi-cultural then (nor very much now really), and this black American in the bright clothes was like no one I'd seen before. He was exciting, sexy and totally into the music, the guitar playing was out of this world, he set the place alight. He played Hey Joe and Purple Haze, and even at my tender age I knew I was seeing someone special, very, very talented and unique, he was head and shoulders above the other artists.

Jimi Hendrix at Carlisle ABC

After the show I went round to the stage door (yeah I've been doing that for a long time too!) where there was a small group of people gathered. Jimi came out to sign autographs.  He was so different from the wild person on stage, he was very polite, appeared a little shy and was quietly spoken. I got his autograph (which I don't have now, wish I still had it!) and then he left. That night I realised just how powerful, exciting and mind-blowing live music can be. Until recently that stage door was still there and many times when I passed by I thought of the night I met Jimi and saw him play live.

I remember seeing a few other artists at the ABC, The Small Faces who I was a fan of, Jeff Beck and also Roy Orbison who were all on the same bill (again a strange mix). When Roy came on stage he looked old to my young eyes. He seemed a bit strange with his dark glasses and standing stock still on the stage. But boy when he opened his mouth, he blew me away, what a voice and it was so effortless for him and that captivated me. So different from Jimi, but it taught me how live music can touch you in so many different ways.

So, the Lonsdale/ABC was the start of my concert going, the initiation into the joys of live music, something that became an important part of my life. I never got to see Jimi play live again, but that night so long ago in April 1967 started something in me that is still going strong. So, I'm sorry to see the Lonsdale/ABC demolished, but the memories shine brightly within me, and thanks for the music and thanks to my mum for letting me go to the gigs!

(All photos by spaceman.com)

U2 on The Tonight Show

Great performance of Invisible on The Tonight Show yesterday. It was performed on the rooftop of the building with a beautiful sunset and the amazing New York skyline behind them. The audience was conprised of the lucky New Yorker U2.com members who were asked to register interest and then were randomly picked, lucky things! Lovely energetic performance, all the band look great and Adam's hair is spectacular lol!

There was then a short interview in the studio which was funny - loved the coffee cup speech and the "spontaneous show business moment"quip. However there was no new information about the upcoming album and tour, U2 fans have to be very patient!

Following this was the "spontaneous show business moment," an acoustic version of Ordinary Love which was good, I thought the song sounded better performed this way, but it still isn't a song that does much for me. It's great to have the lads back, they have been away far too long.

Here's a full video of the performances and interview, enjoy!

Holiday Accommodation Review - The Red House Apartment, Reykjavik - Nordic Style

Address

The Red House Apartment Upper, Reykjavik

Red House Apartment
Skolavordustigur 33
Reykjavik
Iceland

Location
Skolavordustigur has Hallgrimskirkja at one end and Laugavegur at the other, so it was impossible to to get lost on your way home, all you need is to look for the church's steeple that dominates Reykjavik! The apartment was very central for shops, restaurants and the sights of the city, yet away from the famous Reykjavik party places and was very quiet.

Description of the Accommodation
It is a first floor apartment that is reached via a spiral staircase, slightly awkward to get cases up but we did a relay which worked well. It has one double bedroom and one twin, plus a sofa bed in the living room. The large main room is an open plan living, dining and kitchen area. There is one bathroom with a bath, shower and toilet, the washing machine and dryer are in there too. There is also a hallway.  The apartment was decorated in a bright, modern Nordic style in yellow and white with real wood floors.

Facilities

Dining/Kitchen Area

All mod cons, the kitchen was newly fitted. Washer, dryer, dishwasher, plenty of cupboard space and crockery and cutlery. The apartment has a TV and Wifi. The beds were very comfortable. There was everything needed for anyone on holiday.

My View
The apartment was spacious, bright and airy, I loved the Nordic styling of the place.  When we arrived it was dark, but there were lights left on for us and it was lovely and warm which was very welcoming on a cold Icelandic evening! Throughout our stay it was always warm with piping hot geothermal water that smelled of sulphur (the norm in Iceland)It was a large apartment and there was more than enough space for all four of us.

The location was fantastic, everything was just a few minutes walk away. There was a small supermarket just across the road so it was easy to get some food supplies in. The owner, Mark, quick to respond to emails and returned the security deposit quickly after we had left the apartment.  It was a home from home and I would definitely  recommend The Red House Apartment as a place to stay in Reykjavik. You can read more about the apartment here on the Homeaway website on which we booked this accommodation.